While unpacking, I found this article from the Independent: The Ten Best Ciders.

Unfortunately the online version of it had all of the ciders displayed singly, which I found irritating. What I wanted was a list so I could check of each one as I tried it. So I'm making one here.

Haven't tried yet:
Gwynt Y Ddraig Orchard Gold
Henney's Frome Valley Medium (have tried others of this brand)
Cornish Orchards Black and Gold Sparkling
West Croft Janet's Jungle Juice
Biddenden Strong Kentish Cider (dry)

Tried and liked:
Aspall Dry Premier Cru suffolk cider (hm, maybe not the premier cru, whatever that is)
Sheppy's Oakwood Special
Thatchers Katy (a bit sweet)
Dunkerston's Premium Organic Cider

Tried and didn't care for:
Weston's Old Rosie

Anyway, it's cold in the house (apparently at freezing outside) and I still have a lot to do to get the place straightened up. Back on it for me ...

I think I've died and gone to heaven.

The Independent printed a list of the Top Ten Ciders in their paper on Thursday. It's actually much nicer looking in print than it is on the website. On the other hand, that's all I've got to link to, so that's what you get.

I've not tried only four of the ciders - Gwynt Y Ddraig's Orchard Gold, Riddenden's Strong Kentish Cider ("dry"), Cornish Orchards' Black and Gold Sparkling (yum!) and West Croft's "Janett's Jungle Juice," which sounds a bit frightening, more so because, er, it gets a best buy stamp.

Work was busy today. I made it to the gym, but could only go 20 minutes - it's not so much that I've lost muscle tone but I actually feel weak (lightheaded and overheated), with my heart hitting 150-155 bpm on the bike, which I couldn't make happen at all before tonyawinter's visit. What kind of health am I in, really? I hope I'm all better soon.

There are two trips happening at the same time on this visit to York. Me, I'm doing the Early Music thing - tonight was the second concert, Emma Kirkby doing music of exile (in this case German stuff based on Bible verses about the Jews being kicked out of Egypt). It suffered from being held in an overly warm building - the audience seemed to be fussing quite a bit.

Meanwhile, shadowdaddy is on the York pub crawl. Last night was The Maltings, which boasted four kinds of cider on the door and fully lived up to its billing. I had "Ruby Tuesday " (I think), which I think had some raspberry in it and was deee-lish. Jason matched my half with a whole of the brilliant White Horse. My second half was a peanut slash cheesy tasting failure, best forgotten; J got a York Guzzler, which paled in the glare of number one.

Tonight we skipped the highly rated Gillygate in favor of a pub with a patio, and thus we find ourselves at the Three Legged Mare (the picture is our patio view - note the gargoyle). I think the pub might be named after some phrase meaning "scaffold." I have a pint of Stowford Press cider, which is quite nice. J has already finished his "Bumble Bee" and has come back with a pint of "York Stonewall." The people at the table next to us just wished us a happy Fourth. Earlier they were making fun of "Southern" accents, which I found hilarious. We both love the way people sound up here - it's been almost two full days since anyone said "innit." Ah, heaven. Now if there were only someplace still open where I could get an ice cream ...

Well, I had a good time this weekend in Madrid with spikeylady. I've never really done so much drinking whilst on vacation, but she and I really plunged into the whole Madrileno tapas bar crawl thing. A city full of bars with delicious ciders and yummy eats was really just too hard to turn my back on (and sangria and port and manzanilla and what all did I drink?). I swear I'd go back next weekend if I had enough energy to manage!

Personal high: at the Meson de la Guitarra, the guys (that are always there as far as I know, locals who play music in the back room) were sitting around in the middle, one guitar, one singer and clapper (palmas), another guy occasionally clapping or hitting the table. I joined in with some clapping, and afterwards they complimented me (either "ole" or "vale," I can't remember, but two of them smiled and nodded). I was so happy! I was there, I was able to do it, I crossed the cultural divide, I was able to participate in music that I find so beautiful that it flattens me, and yet, when I've seen it performed live, it's always felt impossible for me to ever be a part of it. And Friday, I was a part, maybe for the only time ever. It was great.

I have brought home some 6 bottles of Asturian cider, port, sherry, Cuban rum, and some honey rum. This is in addition to jamon iberico, olives, and boxes of marzipan sweets for the office. (To be clear: they are only getting the marzipan, the rest is for us.) Oh, drool! And yet, with all of this food, all I can think of right now is finishing my Charlain Harris novel. Once Brideshead Revisited was done, I lunged into this one and in less than 24 hours it is almost completed. Back to the Proust tomorrow ... and work. Ah well! One can't be on vacation forever, at least, not until you retire, and I need to get this travelling bug out of me while my knees can still handle all of the walking.

Cidra la Asturiana - Restaurante La Latina

Tonight after work shadowdaddy and I looked for an outfit (for me) at the New Look near work for a party I'm probably going to tomorrow. Verdict: me too fat. Oh well. I guess if dressing as Greed is out I can always dress as Gluttony.

Then it was off to see Hofesh Schechter at Sadlers Wells, where we were joined by wechsler. Shechter still has an amazing vocabulary of male movement - I've really never seen a dance piece where the way the guys interacted with each other so accurately reflected how guys really act. It was also exciting and gorgeous and full of unexpected moments. The second piece, "In My Rooms," was difficult for me to understand and seemed a bit long. Was it about alienation or the attempt to make order from chaos, or the problems in the Palestine, or something else altogether? I saw the movement and I couldn't impose much order on it. Both of the guys thought it was great.

We had enough to talk about that we all wound up at the Charles Lamb (awesome pub), me and W working on a liter bottle of Breton cider, shadowdaddy on some Honeydew Ale. We were all pretty worn out from the week, but it was a good night. I can't wait for tomorrow, when I can sleep, sleep, sleep as long as I want.

Beer festival: manged to catch up with indigo_violet, which was cool. Tried three ciders, a half or less each, as follows:
Gwatkin Foxwhelp (described as very dry): musty, full-on basement taste. Thank God it was only a third.
Hancock's medium blend (described as sweet): syrupy and gross. Poured a bit out as I got a half of this and it was too much.
Somebody's Funky Something (rum cask) (perhaps Heck's Yarlington Mill but I think it had some kind of Welsh sounding name): really overall not so great either, finished it up but only because I got bored waiting for shadowdaddy to come back with his third beer.

I'm thinking maybe I need to be sticking to the French ciders. The pamphlet says of traditional ciders, "If you have not tried these before you will be pleasantly surprised." I beg to disagree.

Um, interview. I got the feeling I didn't look nice enough for this company and that I answered the questions in too rambling a manner. I need to avoid going into any kind of meta discussion when I'm in an interview and, now that I've spent so much time on the other side of the table, it's a bit difficult to restrain myself - it's like my dad is bleeding through me or something. I was also a bit creeped out that they were so concerned with people who'd done well at school, and that they called this "switched on." I know piles of people who are very intelligent and didn't even finish school - why do they think it's such a big deal? I'm way more concerned with what a person has been doing since school, especially if they've been out for 15 years. I briefly thought it would be a really cool place to work, but ... I've pretty much already written it off. Next!

Now to pack for tomorrow, and see if Harry (Dresden) conquers the evil necromancers.

I shouldn't be bothered by spending an evening by myself, but for some reason, I'm blue.

Tonight's post is brought to you by Wychwood Green Goblin cider, which I'd never seen before tonight's trip to Waitrose.

Hard to resist a cider with a label ( this cute )

Would anyone be up for a trip to Middle Farm in East Sussex for the cider festival on Sunday? There's a trip being organized by Southeast London Cider Group, meeting in Croydon for the 12:07 train ... takers?

And I need a cider logo, something with the black fox and an apple would be perfect!

Despite getting in bed at a reasonable time, I was exhausted when I woke up this morning. I'm guessing I slept poorly or something - not sure what the problem was, though I had bad dreams in which people tore out the walls of my house to make it into a bar and then one in which my dog had his paw nailed to the floor with a spike by some mean person. My walk was pleasant, but I still just don't feel very good. I was coughing too much to make it through a meeting (one that required I talk a lot) yesterday and my throat still hurts. I've brought in another pile of ginger/lemon tisane bags, so hopefully I can work on my throat even if I can't fix the exhaustion and congestion.

Last night I was practically delirious by 8 PM - I couldn't focus, and I inadvertently bought a "double sheet set" when I was trying to buy pillowcases from Woolworths (oops). I never really read anything, just stumbled from one end of the apartment to another, making some food (Kraft macaroni and cheese, one of the magic boxes I brought with me from home), washing dishes, hanging up a few clothes, trying to remember why I was standing in front of the bookshelves. I didn't get home until late - I only made it to Putney at a quarter 'til 7 and discovere that most of the high street shops were getting ready to close (or had already done so) and made a panicked sweep throught the Woolworth's so I didn't get stuck without an alarm clock again. Then I went to the ... grocery store ... starts with a W ... er, the Yankee Hotel "Foxtrot," where I did my best to fill in the alimentary shortages of my kitchen without having a brain to assist me.

While shopping, I did get a call from shadowdaddy, who wanted to let me know his visa had been approved. There is now nothing to keep him from moving here and joining me and starting a whole new life in England. He started crying and I wasn't sure if he was happy or sad but I felt really bad that I wasn't there to give him a hug and tell him how excited I was for him and how happy I was for myself. Instead I stood in front of the cheese section and read off the options that would soon be his. "Double Gloucester ... Red Leicester ... Stilton and Cranberry ... Stilton and Pineapple ..." This made him laugh. Yay! I still know how to distract him.

I personally was distracted when I walked in front of the Wall of Cider. So many options ... I'm afraid I am prone to choose books by their cover, for I bought a bottle of the Black Fox Cider becaue it had the best label. Yum. I want to go through and try a bottle of every single variety that store carries. If only I could have fit more into my shopping basket ... but I was already at the limit of what I could carry home. I'll just have to go back ... over and over and over again.

I have been brought raspberry chocolate truffles, and we are now playing cancellation hearts and drinking really, really nice cider (Manoir du Parc).

Aaaahhhhh.